


Skates and Scarves

by sariane



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Fluff, Ice Skating, M/M, MWPP Era, Winter, with some plot
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-12-22
Updated: 2012-12-22
Packaged: 2017-11-22 00:15:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,070
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/603661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sariane/pseuds/sariane
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Marauders try to go ice skating on the lake, but it can never be that simple where they're involved.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Skates and Scarves

**Author's Note:**

> This fic is a much more polished version of the seventh day of my [12 Days of Ficmas series on tumblr](http://urbanko.tumblr.com/ficmas2012), which concludes on Christmas Day. I hope you enjoy it!

"Are you sure this is safe?" Lily asks James, who nods.

"Absolutely," he says.

"Probably not," Sirius grins as he steps onto the ice of the lake in his skates. "But the Giant Squid won't let us drown, so don't worry." Lily narrows her eyes at him and Sirius pales a little.

" _Black_ ," Lily starts, and James does his duty by glaring at Sirius.

"Ignore him," Remus says, "if you pretend you can't hear him, he gets sad and quiet. It's nice."

"Like a dog with its tail between its legs," Peter adds. James catches his eye and sends him into a fit of giggles. Lily rolls her eyes and crosses her arms at them. Remus steps carefully onto the ice and watches Sirius skate across the lake with a loud whoop, scaring some birds and startling Frank and Alice from their corner of the ice.

"Oi!" Alice yells at Sirius, "We were here first!"

Remus sighs and glances to James and Lily.

"I better," he gestures, and skates off across the ice on wobbly legs.

"Moony!" Sirius says cheerfully. "Look at this," he says, and takes off at full speed before jumping in the air and landing on his side to slide a long distance across the ice, once again shouting as he goes.

"He's such a child," Alice sighs to Remus, who smiles.

"Aren't they all?" Remus says, gesturing back to James and Peter, who are still at the bank, trying to gain their balance on the ice. Lily is laughing at them.

"Remus!" Sirius yells, and Remus holds his arms out to balance himself as he pushes off.

"Yeah?" he starts, but Sirius speeds towards him and grabs his hand as he heads across the lake.

"SIRIUS!" Remus yells, trying to shake his grasp and failing.

"Wooohooo!" Sirius yells, wind rushing in his hair. Remus' stomach does a flip as they fly over the ice, their robes and scarves whipping around them.

"Merlin's beard," Remus says weakly when they stop, a distance away from the laughter of the others. Sirius lets their hands fall to their sides and grins at him, pushing his hair out of his eyes. "You're going to be the death of me, Sirius."

"Oh, come on, you -- what was that?" Sirius says, looking around frantically. Remus stands completely still, looking around and listening. That's when he hears it.

_Crack._

"The ice," Sirius says. He pulls on Remus' hand and tries to push off. " _Come on_ , we've got to warn the others," he says, and they begin to skate towards the others at top speed. "IT'S CRACKING," Sirius yells. Remus turns his head to watch a large crack spread across the ice at their backs. He catches a glimpse of something, someone, a boy in dark robes with his wand pointed towards them--

"SIRIUS!" Remus shouts as the ground disappears out from under him and Sirius' hand slips out of his grip. Before he knows it, he's underwater, freezing and weighted down by his clothing. He tries to swim, to kick off his ice skates and swim to the top, but they're laced up tight and he can't. Remus' eyes hurt in the water, but he can barely see anything except the little bits of sunlight shining through the ice above his head. He doesn't have his wand, foolishly, he'd been afraid of breaking it if he fell on the ice, so he gathers as much strength as he can.

Remus finally swims to the top, but he doesn't see the hole where he fell in.  Remus beats his hands upon the ice, hoping it will break under the strength of his fists, but it doesn't. His lungs are already burning and screaming for him to breathe, but he can't, can't see, can't breathe, can't think -- all he can remember, besides the cold, was the way Sirius' hand jerked out of his as he slid into the ice.

His head is aching, his lungs are on fire, and he can't do this anymore. Remus lets out a half-hearted cry and one final punch at the ice before he can't fight to stay up any longer.

A hand closes around his.

When Remus feels the cold air on his face, he takes a deep, gasping breath.

"Remus?" someone shouts into his ear as they hoist him up onto the bank of the lake and into a snowdrift. They climb out of the water and sit next to him, rolling him over onto his side. "Remus? Remus? Are you okay? Can you hear me? Remus?"

Remus opens his mouth to speak and coughs out a mouthful of water, and then another. He blinks in surprise as the world goes white around the edges. He didn't even remember swallowing any water.

"Oh, Merlin, please…" Someone unwinds Remus's soaking scarf and throws it aside.

"Sirius?" he croaks, barely able to speak. He looks up into Sirius' face. His hair is wet against his face and he's wearing only half of his robes. Remus shakes violently and Sirius' pale lips purse together. "The others," he gasps. Sirius looks over his head. Remus turns, but it hurts to move. He's so _cold_.

"Most of them made it to the shore in time," Sirius says, "James fell in, but Lily got him. She's a strong swimmer." Sirius pauses and Remus shivers as he takes long, deep breaths of the frigid air. Sirius watches the air steam up as he breathes. "But I had to take those bloody skates off before I could dive in, and then...I thought…I couldn't find you," he says in a small voice.

"I’m right here," Remus says, reaching for Sirius' hand.  He grips it tightly, even though he can barely feel it. "Thank you."

Sirius smiles. "I'd kiss you now, if I didn't think it would impede the breathing process."

Remus laughs and doesn't care that it hurts his throat.

"You're freezing," Sirius exclaims, "you're going to get sick, and you're _always_ sick, we should get inside. To bed. And tea. Or hot cocoa. Or both."

"Cocoa," Remus says, smiling. He lets Sirius help him untie his skates. "And bed."

"Will there be cuddling?" Sirius says with a glint in his eye. Remus rolls his eyes.

He pretends to consider as Sirius helps him get to his feet. "Hm, well, if you insist." He bites his lip to hide a smile. “I am awfully cold."


End file.
